Have been to the emergency room a few times over the past several years and have always ridden myself in (allergic reactions)... nurses have always been a little concerned at my vital signs as I should have been more stressed and the first physical I had with my new physician worried him enough to ask if I had a heart condition until I told him I was riding as much as 16,000 km a year.

Funniest incident was during a work physical where they had me running on a treadmill in what was a pretty vigorous test... nurse was astonished at my cardio and said I tested as well as some of the professional hockey players she tested.

I had to apologize for the poor results as I told her I rarely ran this intensively, was just getting over a cold, and was also a smoker at the time.

Something I really like is having a neti pot and use it daily to flush my sinuses and keep them moist... you do breathe in a lot of dust when you are riding and the saline rinse kills germs that might cause colds... something I have not had in over ten years.